Stovepipe-joint lock.



B. F. W000, 1n. STOVEPIPE JOINT LOCK.

(Application filed Mar. 6, 1899.)

Patented Oct. 24, I899.

(No Model.)

Ill-Ill! 0 III WITNESSES b4 61. as?

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. UNITED STATES EEicE.

FPATENT BENJAMIN F. 'WOOD, JRZ, OF CAMDEN POINT, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONF- I-IALF TO DAVID C. LEAVEL, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,707, dated October 24, 1899.

Application filed March 6, 1899. Serial No. 708,012. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known thatLBENJAMIN F. Wool), J12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden Point, in the county of Platte and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stovepipe-Joint Locks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the ac companying drawings.

to This invention relates to locking mechan ism for Stovepipe-joints.

The object of the invention is to produce a mechanism by which a stovepipe-joint may be firmly held in position to communicate with a chimney-flue and prevented from either entering too deeply into the chimney or escaping therefrom or from in any wise sagging or swaying, and by which the joints may be held firmly.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pipe-joint and elbow, showing section of chimney and pipe-l0ck in position. Fig. 2 is a broken bottom plan of a pipe-joint, showing the chimney hook and braces and draw-coupling for wire, the pipe being partly broken away to show inside plate and lugs and one brace being in section. Fig. 3 is a plan, and Fig. 4 an elevation, of the retaining-h0ok and its hinged extension, Fig. 4 showing the wire- 0 clamping mechanism in section.

A indicates the pipe-section which enters the chimney, and B the chimney, both being of any common construction.

0 indicates a hook, preferably of wire and 5 hinged to a metallic strap D, which strap D is provided with a number of holes. The strap D is attached to the stovepipe-joint by a bolt E, having a retaining-nut E thereon and passing through one of the holes in the strap and a hole in the stovepipeli The end of the hook 0 should project from the end of the stovepipe far enough to drop down inside the chimney flue when the pipe is adjusted in the flue, The holes in the strap D enable the 5 connection to be made with proper adjustment of hook whether the wall of the chimneyfiue be thick or thin. Except for the extension of strap D and the provision of a number of holes therein, this mechanism is old. The

hook O is slightly lifted when the joint is entered into the flue opening or thimble and slides along on the lower part of the thimble until it drops inside the flue to lock the pipe against withdrawal. When it is desired to withdraw the pipe, it is rotated in the hole until the hook is at the upper side, when it will drop free.

At each side of the joint A, I attach a brace F. Said brace is slotted lengthwise, as indicated, and has a right-angled arm or exten- 6o sion F.

Inside the pipe I place a metallic strip G at each side of the pipe and secured by rivets H H, which rivets have heads or lugs projecting outside the s'tovepipe. A threaded bolt I passes through the strap and pipe, and a nut K outside the pipe serves to attach brace F.

The braces F are applied at each side of the pipe-joint, the rivets H extending into the slot in the brace and holding it in longitudinal relation to the pipe and the nut K serving to retain the brace F in endwise adj ustment, so that extension F of each of said braces will come against the outer wall of the chimney at the sides of the pipe when the hook engages the inside of the flue.

Flue-locks something like mine have been heretofore made in which a single brace like F was applied to the underside of the pipe-joint, 8o directlyunderhook O. This is objectionable in that it will permit the outer end of the joint to sag or to swing sidewise. Such is not the case with my attachment, wherein the hook O at bottom and the two braces F at the sides 8 5 of the pipe mutually brace and support each other. When the joint is properly adjusted in the chimney and the two braces applied, as indicated by Figs. 1 and 2, the joint is held rigidly in the thimble or flue opening, so that it will not only support itself, but will support other joints of pipe with extreme rigidity.

Many accidents have happened from an inefficient fastening of stovepipes in chimneys.

With the mechanism described no displace- 5 ment of the pipe can take place until the locking mechanism is displaced by proper means unless some part be broken.

As a means for locking the remainingjoints of pipe to the joint A a bent strap M is pro- "vided.

This strap M may be generally similar to one of the braces F, but it is not necessary that it shall be slotted, as a hole for the passage of the bolt E is suilicient. The arm M of strap M is also perforated for the passage of the draw-bolt O, which bolt is provided with a nut P and is of usual construction. A wire B may be attach ed to this drawbolt and so extend around the elbow A Of course the same connection may be made no matter how many joints of pipe intervene between pipe A and elbow A \Vhether the wire R pass around an elbow or is otherwise connected to the pipe-sections the wire may be drawn taut by turning the nut P, thus binding all of the pipe connected to the wire to the bolt E, and so to the hook O in the chimney, and as the pipe-section A is rigidly held and braced in the chimney so will all the pipe-sections be held as far as wire R extends.

I am aware that mostif not all the elements of my locking mechanism have been i used in somewhat similar relation for a like purpose; but I am not aware that any prior inventor has combined and arranged these elements so as to produce an eitective andreliable locking-coupling for pipes and chimneys in the way I have described.

What I claim is-- 1. The combination with a stovepipe-joint, of a metallic strap inside the pipe, rivets and a screw-bolt passing through said strap and projecting outside thereof, and a slotted brace, into the slot of which said rivets extend to guide the same, the bolt and its nut forming means for adj usta'hly securing the brace, sub-' stantially as described.

2. In a stovepipe-locking device as described, the combination with the chimney and pipe of a hinged hook extending into the chimney at the lower side of the pipe, a bolt passing through the hook support and through the pipe, a bent strap secured to said bolt outside the pipe, a draw-bolt pass ing through an arm of the bent strap and having a wire connected thereto for binding outer sections or joints of pipes, and side braces on the chimney-joint, whereby all the sections reached by the wire are boundto the chimney and braced therefrom, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. \VOOD, JR.

\Vitn esses:

R. O. WALLINGFORD, O. T. I'IAMBLEN. 

